Living to Let Go
by IndigoPerspective
Summary: AU - Bankotsu's been in foster care for years. He decides to stop causing a ruckus, much to everyone's relief. Just when things seem to settle down, and he gets used to his new friends and fosters, he receives a deadly offer he just can't refuse. BanxOC
1. Short Notice

A/N: Hey there, you can call me Aerie, for the purposes of talking to me on . This is my first fanfiction. I decided to write this because...well, currently there are over 90 thousand Inuyasha fanfiction on this site alone, and it's *really* difficult to find me some decent Bankotsu fanfiction. So, I have decided to come up with my OWN. This is the first part, and I promise you, this story will *not* be short, at all. So brace yourselves. =) This is an alternate Universe fic, and also is pretty slice-of-life in the beginning. But bear with me. I don't like sending my characters in circles just like you don't like reading it!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the characters, or anything else previously created by Rumiko Takahashi. This goes for the rest of this fic!!!**

And on that note, please enjoy.

* * *

**Living To Let Go**

**Chapter One**

**Short Notice**

He was stealing the building's wifi. Thankfully he was able to get a signal. He sat in a small room connected to the end of a long, fluorescent-lit hallway, in a cushioned burgundy chair with gray metal arm rests. He never liked those chairs, because whenever he was told to sit in them it meant he was either in trouble, got blamed for something, or was being sent with a new family. Yeah, being in an orphanage wasn't the best thing in the world. But he supposed things could be worse.

He kept his head down, focusing on the iPod Touch in his hands. His black bangs covered his eyes, preventing anyone walking past being able to see his expression. His thumbs typed sporadically against the screen, typing out a text message to send to his friend. As he tapped the "send" button, his message appeared in a bubble above the keyboard, joining the rest of his conversation. He glanced up at the black and white clock on the wall across from him, before receiving a message and continuing to type. His screen read:

Jakotsu: the office? did u do sumthing wrong?

Me: nah dunno, prolly found a foster again

Jakotsu: o ok. got any idea where they mite put u this time?

Me: uhh.. i usually dont til i go in jak lol.

Jakotsu: ha ok buster :P well let me kno wat they say l8r

Me: will do.

"Bankotsu? You can come in now." Bankotsu looked up to see a short, blonde woman poking her head out of a door. Once he stood, she opened it wide enough for him to take a hold of as he walked through it, and into an office setting. A small settee sat to his left against the wall, and a cherry oak end table to his right sported a vase of white chrysanthemums. Ahead of him was a chair, a desk, and then another chair with a man currently sitting in it. He heard the woman step out of the room and close the door behind her, before he stepped forward in front of the desk and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black nylon jacket.

The man before Bankotsu was scrutinizing a sheet of paper, signing it at the bottom, flipping it over, and signing it again. He looked up at Bankotsu, and reached up to remove the thin glass frames from his face. "So, what happened this time?"

"I don't know what you mean, Harima."

The middle-aged man sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, before pointing to a seat with the pen in his hand. "Let's have a talk."

Though Bankotsu was feeling particularly defiant, he decided he liked this man enough not to completely drive him up a wall this time. Harima was the only man in the orphanage he had the smallest bit of respect for, and was also the only one he would tolerate for a lengthy amount of time. He stepped to the left and took a seat, leaning back and slouching down into the back rest.

When Bankotsu failed to say anything, Harima stuck his pen into a tube that held a variety of writing utensils, and fisted his hands to let them sit on top of his desk. "Unmanageable behavior."

Bankotsu shrugged.

"Extremely inappropriate language."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes.

"And home wreckage? What's that one about?"

"Their television was too old. So I eradicated it."

Harima blinked and ran a hand through his short black hair. "Honestly." He pulled a manilla folder from his desk and opened it, studying the contents carefully. He soon spoke. "'Minor has failed to comply with all household rules, has insulted all family members tremendously, and has wrecked several of our antique household items. We don't regret to inform you that we must return said minor to you, for we can no longer tolerate his wild antics. Sincerely, The Franklin family.' This family has a young boy, you insulted him?" Harima asked, glancing up at the teen before him.

Ignoring Harima's question, Bankotsu said, "Couldn't even write my name, huh? What a shame." Bankotsu looked at the cup of pens on Harima's desk before looking at the small digital clock next to it. 2:57PM. "Look, is this gonna take all day? I'm back, so what? Either I go somewhere else or I stay here."

"You know, you're running out of options. Foster families don't take kind to nuisances."

"I don't need those options," Bankotsu mumbled. "I make my own."

Harima raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well how about you make it your option to stop throwing tantrums all of the time whenever you get sent out to a new family. It might actually do you some good. And then, maybe you'll get yourself a girlfriend and stop being such a little shit." His face held a matter-of-fact expression.

A low growl erupted from Bankotsu's throat and he said, "Shut the hell up, you can't say that shit to me." If he wasn't already miffed, he was certainly angry now.

"Stop using your age as an excuse to run through people's houses like a rampant storm. These people are affording to keep you, the least you could do is bite your tongue and suck it up. I know it's hard, but--"

"No, no you don't know." Bankotsu said. He stood, unable to sit and listen to the man lecture him any longer. "And I never asked any of them to afford shit for me, it's their own damn fault!"

Harima placed the folder back to the edge of his desk and looked Bankotsu hard in the eye. "What is? What's their fault that you haven't done?" Harima challenged.

"I...whatever," Bankotsu grumbled. He turned to walk out of the office, but Harima's voice stopped him in the doorway.

"By the way, you're going to another home tomorrow. So pack your stuff and look nice by two. Thanks." He stood from his office chair and shouted over Bankotsu's head, "Debbie!"

Bankotsu growled angrily before mumbling under his breath and storming through the doorframe and down the hall, heading for his room. Debbie, the short blond woman returned to Harima's door, glanced off in the direction of Bankotsu's course, and said, "Oh boy."

{~*~*~}

Was there ever anything fun to do while he was in the orphanage? Usually not. Well, maybe if he had a friend there that might be different. Bankotsu currently sat in the open courtyard on the facility's properly, on a wooden bench off the side of a sidewalk path. In the center of the courtyard there was a small playground structure and a set of swings, which were both adorned with kids. Staff always made everyone go outside once a day, because they said it helped clear the mind and maintain positive attitudes within the kids who stayed here. Though, it never did much for Bankotsu. If anything, he was living proof that such ideas just didn't work for him.

Considering that the only real friend he had wasn't in the orphanage, he was mostly left alone unless a staff member or counselor came to see him while he was here. Most of the conversation he had was with his friend Jakotsu, through text messaging. But unfortunately Jakotsu wasn't texting him back at the moment. He placed his iTouch into his jacket pocket, and raised a hand to tentatively touch the purple cross mark on his forehead. He prodded at his skin there, listening absently to his surroundings. The sun was hidden by a thick blanket of clouds that day, and because of last night's thunderstorm the temperature had dropped. It was a little too chilly for an August day though. Bankotsu reached for the collar of his jacket and tugged it up to cover his neck as a small gust of wind entered the circular courtyard.

His attention was caught by a group of boys his age who were looking at him and pointing from across the courtyard. God, why did people always do that? It's not like he looked that different from everyone else. A scowl covered his handsome, tanned face as he made a move to stand, but the sound of Harima's voice approaching him stopped him.

"Nice day."

"Not really." Bankotsu slumped back on the bench while Harima took a seat next to him. Sometimes he wondered why the guy bothered with him.

"Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Bankotsu didn't reply. The wind shook the leaves around the open space. They sat in silence for a while. Harima observed all of the kids and teenagers while Bankotsu fiddled with the zipper of his jacket in one hand.

Finally, Harima spoke. "The family's last name is Kitamura. They have no kids. Their house is about an hour East from here."

"Really now."

Harima sighed, trying not to get too annoyed by Bankotsu's sarcastic mood. "I think they'll do you some good. In the interview they sounded very promising, and it sounds like they might be able to handle you, no matter what you do." Harima leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees.

A smirk appeared on Bankotsu's face. "No matter what I do, eh? Huh."

"Must you challenge everyone who bothers to take you in? Most people don't adopt teenagers because they'd rather raise a child. You're very, very lucky considering that fact."

"Sure. So, I don't get to meet them before they whisk me away? That's a little strange." Bankotsu yawned, shielding his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No, on such short notice you'll only get to meet them briefly before they take you to their house. But don't be nervous, Bankotsu. I think they're a much better family for you, and you shouldn't have any problems with them at all." A smile pulled at the corners of Harima's lips, and his dark brown eyes found their way to Bankotsu's to see his reaction. He stood and began to make his way back to the main housing building, leaving Bankotsu on the bench.

"Th...that's what you think, Harima!" Bankotsu stood up, but did't know what to do with himself. "And I'm not nervous!" he shouted after Harima.

{~*~*~}

Bankotsu had a bad feeling about this. He had reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat of his new foster parent's Jeep, and the hour long car ride was pretty uncomfortable for him. By the time they arrived at the quaint house Bankotsu was overly ready to get out of the car and away from the man who drove. His new foster father was a pretty large man, but by large that meant he was mostly muscle and meat. His hair was a chestnut brown and he hadn't shaved in a day or two judging by the scruff on his jaw. His eyes were a deep brown. He had on a white t-shirt under his jacket and a pair of jeans, so Bankotsu suspected he was unemployed. Great.

Once the car stopped Bankotsu unbuckled his seat belt and opened the back seat door to get his small duffel bag out, launching it onto his shoulder. The older man shut off the truck and stepped out, closing the door.

Though Bankotsu felt he was at no liberty to care about this man or his wife, he decided at least knowing their names wouldn't hurt. He heaved a sigh as he closed the back seat door and followed the man up the driveway and onto the wooden porch. "What did you say your name was again?"

The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, jiggling them around in his palm to find the right one. "My name is Kenji, and my wife's name is Maaya." Kenji found the correct key and opened the wooden front door and stepped into the house, stepping aside for Bankotsu. Bankotsu followed suit, and set his bag down ahead of him while he started to remove his sneakers.

Kenji slipped off his shoes and walked into the house after closing the front door. He said, "Kitchen to the right, den to the left, straight is the back door, and upstairs are all the bedrooms. There's a bathroom both upstairs and downstairs, and there's a coat closet next to you on the left.

"Got it..." Bankotsu stepped up onto the wooden floor of the hallway, picking up his duffel and slinging it over his shoulder again. Kenji motioned for him to follow him up the stairs ahead of them.

Once they were upstairs Kenji walked up to the first door on the left, and turned around to face Bankotsu. "This is your room."

Bankotsu waited for him to say anything else. When he didn't he asked, "That's it?"

"That's it." The corner of Kenji's mouth tugged into half a smile, before he walked around Bankotsu to head back downstairs. "I'll be out in the back yard if you need anything." Bankotsu watched his descending form until he could no longer see him anymore. He turned back towards the door, and took the handle, pushing the door open.

It was a simple room, nothing extravagant. A twin sized bed along the right wall, a window across from the door, a folding-door closet on the left wall, and a desk under the window complete with a chair and a small lamp. The curtains were wide open, letting in a vast amount of sunlight. He sat down his duffel at the side of the bed before sitting down in the desk chair and taking out his iTouch. Once the screen lit up he noticed he had four new messages from Jakotsu. the screen read:

4 New Messages!

Jakotsu: ok well i will see abt that

Jakotsu: o guess what?

Jakotsu: i jus saw the sexiest guy haha ;)

Jakotsu: btw wher did u go? u kno what city ur in? how long u think u'll be there?

Bankotsu replied,

Me: ha okay jak. i'm in the city this time. well not the city, im in sum neighborhood.

Me: tokyo

Bankotsu set the device down on the desk and stared out of the window. there was a tree not too far away, and it was adorned with small white flowers. Since the weather was much better and warmer today, he stood up and leaned over the desk to unlatch the window, and pulled it up letting in some fresh warm air. He got a new message, so he sat back down and picked up the iTouch again.

Jakotsu: ah wowa ur in tokyo?! hey ur closer 2 me this time. i wanna c u! wher u at?

Bankotsu laughed a little before replying,

Me: i dunno lol. this guy is weird tho. barely introduced himself. and i havent seen his wife yet.

Me: ill call u l8r after i look around a bit.

Jakotsu: o ok keep me posted

Bankotsu locked the device and put it into his back pocket before removing his jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. He got up and set off to explore the house.

It was strange...this guy was strange. Anyone who bothered to take Bankotsu in knew he was a trouble maker but thought they could tame him. Most people started off by lecturing him about all the things he shouldn't do, shouldn't say, and all the places he couldn't go. But this Kenji guy didn't even bother to be so courteous. Bankotsu figured either it was only a matter of time, or Kenji's wife, whatever her name was, would come in a do all of that herself. Bankotsu reached the bottom of the stairs and looked to his right, into the den. A couch, a flat screen TV (thank God) a lounge chair, a coffee table, basic den furniture. But of course he chose the other direction and walked into the kitchen. It was quaint, just like the exterior of the house, with pale yellow walls and white cabinets. An island was placed between him and the sink. The kitchen was pretty large, and at the far end toward the back of the house was a dining table with chairs. He stepped inside and opened the fridge, hoping to find something quick to stuff down his throat. He was delighted to see that the fridge was almost stocked to the brim with food! Fruits, meat, juice, soda, snacks, everything he could have asked for. He reached in with a huge grin on his face and took out a small container of chocolate pudding. Maybe living here for a while wouldn't be so bad after all.

This was Bankotsu's normal routine. He's been to so many people's houses that he started developing an order in which he did and said things. First he would observe. So for a day or two, sometimes a week, he would lay low and check out his surroundings, test the people he was staying with, and scope out all of his possible options for driving them crazy. How annoying the fosters were to him determined how quickly he went on to the second stage: the nuisance. Little things like drumming his fingers constantly would start the havoc, and then he would move on to worser things like punching holes in walls for the fun of it, popping up floor tiles and smashing them in the sink, and he couldn't forget that one time he hurled a lamp out of a bedroom window when the light flickered out. One could say he was quite destructive, and a very costly kid to take care of. But he wanted it that way. All of these families he had been placed with were all the same, and none of them really took his thoughts and feelings into consideration for anything. So why should he take their home and family members into consideration? The world wasn't fair, and he didn't intend to live out his life letting people run him however they wanted to.

He started pulling open different drawers along the cabinets, trying to find a spoon to eat the pudding with, and was startled when he heard a voice from the archway leading into the hall. "I see you've found the refrigerator," a woman's voice said.

Bankotsu spun around, almost guiltily, as he laid eyes on the woman standing there. He hadn't realized she had come through the front door. She was tall, like Kenji, with black shoulder length hair that framed her face. A knowing smile played on her lips as she walked into the kitchen and sat the bags she was carrying on top of the island countertop. "It's nice to finally meet you, Bankotsu. I'm Maaya," she said. She glanced at the cup of pudding in his hand and asked, "Looking for the utensils?"

Bankotsu nodded, watching her intently. She pointed to a drawer just in front of him inside of the island, and he pulled the drawer open and grabbed a spoon quickly. He turned to walk out of the kitchen, but changed his mind and walked down to the dining table and took a seat. The walls around the table were lined with windows, and all of the curtains were pulled back letting light pour in. He settled down, opened the packet, and enjoyed the first spoonful of chocolatey-goodness.

Maaya opened the freezer and pulled out two cornish hens. She set about preparing to let them thaw out by washing her hands and cutting up different stuff. Bankotsu tried to steal a glance at her but it was difficult considering he was facing the wall and had his back to the rest of the kitchen. Once he finished his pudding however he got up and started seeking out the trash can after placing his spoon in the sink. He found it quickly, as it was a large drawer on the side of the island. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Nice hair, what shampoo do you use?" Maaya asked, without lifting her eyes from the onions she was cutting.

Bankotsu eyes her suspiciously before slowly answering, "Garnier...Fructis." He caught the smile that formed on her lips before it quickly disappeared.

"I'll look into that product then."

"Was that a compliment?"

"In a way, yes."

"Huh," Bankotsu concluded, and turned to leave the kitchen.

Before he could exit, Maaya said, "Once I'm done setting this meat to thaw, I'm making lunch. You should come down."

Bankotsu only scratched the side of his head as a response, before disappearing behind the wall and ascending the stair case. She was...strange. But so was her husband. 'Whatever,' he thought. 'It's just small talk, like it always is.' When he reached his "room" he closed the door behind him after entering, and stretched out face down onto the bed. He noted that the sheets smelled crisp and fresh, like some kind of "mountain breeze" detergent was used. He decided to sleep for a bit.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked the first chapter, I'll start writing the next installment. =)


	2. Backseat Driving

**A/N:** After a little trouble with uploading, I got some help from KittyB78!! So, thank you!! I am happy to present to you the next installment. I hope you enjoy it, and there's another note from me at the bottom. You should totally read it.

**Living To Let Go**

**Chapter 2**

**Backseat Driving**

Three days. It had been three days since Bankotsu had arrived at the Kitamura residence. The past few days consisted of Bankotsu vaguely getting used to the place, feeling out Kenji and Maaya, and texting and calling Jakotsu. Of course you couldn't forget the pigging out on all of the snacks in the kitchen, the channel surfing on the pristine flat screen HDTV in the den, and all the practicing of sliding down the wooden banister along the staircase whenever he descended the stairs. The house was westernized, and though there were some things he didn't care for, such as the high dining room table and chairs, he preferred the western home anyway so he wasn't disappointed. What was surprising to him the most was that Kenji and Maaya barely even spoke to him. He could do whatever he wanted and if he saw Maaya she would just smile, and if he saw Kenji he would just grunt in acknowledgement. So far, neither of them were bothering him at all, to be honest. And this was starting to bother Bankotsu. He hadn't gotten lectured yet, no one had yapped off a list of rules and expectations to him, nothing. Of course they knew he was the worst kid to come from the orphanage. Of course they knew he was a big trouble maker. But maybe they were just waiting for him to do something before they started knuckling down. He came to the conclusion that he had to provoke them if he wanted to see any kind of rise out of either of them.

Yeah, he was asking for trouble. But he wouldn't be himself if he didn't. He'd been causing a ruckus since the age of ten, and he wasn't about to stop now. Not a chance.

Bankotsu was sitting in the den, sprawled out on the dark brown leather sofa, with his head turned sideways to watch the television. His right arm hung off the edge and grazed the floor with the remote in his hand, and his long, black, braided hair hung down as well. One knee was bent up while his other leg stretched to the other end of the sofa, propped up by the arm rest. He gazed dully at a commercial about some magic brush for pets, noting how almost everything that was sold on television was only $19.99. He did some channel surfing, barely seeing what each channel had to offer before he went to the next one. Most channels were broadcasting soaps, cartoons, or boring documentaries, and none of it was of any interest to him.

It was an early Monday afternoon, and he was the only one in the house. It turned out, much to Bankotsu's satisfaction, that Kenji did have a job, as a construction worker. He took day shifts during the week, and was gone until around six in the evening. Maaya was a preschool teacher, and she was gone until five in the afternoon. At his last house, the baby sitter was there with the young boy who lived there, since summer vacation had just started, so Bankotsu never really got any time alone. But now, he had the house all to himself. Summer vacation had never felt so relaxing.

"Relaxing"? Why was he relaxing? 'What have I been doing with myself?' he thought. He switched the television off and left the remote on the floor as he slowly stood from the couch and made his way out of the den. There was a small table against the side of the staircase with a telephone resting on it, so he walked to the front of it and stopped.

"What was the number again..." he mumbled to himself as he took out his iTouch and maneuvered to the text messaging application. He pulled up Jakotsu's number and took hold of the receiver, beginning to dial. He precariously held the phone between his shoulder and ear, and as soon as he heard the line pick up he held it properly with his hand.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Jakotsu," Bankotsu said.

"Bankotsu! You called at the perfect time!" Jakotsu said with glee through the phone.

"I bet." Bankotsu felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. "Look, what are you doing right now? I've been dying to get out of this house since I got here."

He heard some noises, before an automated voice crackled on in the background. Then Jakotsu spoke, "I'm coming up from the train right now, but I'm not too far from where you said that house is. I can meet up with you at Koneko Cafe if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. I'll meet you there, Jakotsu."

"Alright."

Bankotsu lay the phone back down in it's cradle before jogging to the front door sticking his head out to feel the temperature of the air. Deeming the weather appropriate for his navy t-shirt and blue jeans, he turned around, stuffing his feet in his shoes and taking off through the door, without bothering to lock it. The couple hadn't bothered to hand him a key yet, so he couldn't lock it anyway. Oh well. If anyone felt like breaking into that house, Kenji and Maaya would be S.O.L.

{~*~*~}

The best thing, and the worst thing, about being out in public was the amount of people. Tokyo was always jam-packed and constantly moving. Though it was a great place for a fun time, it wasn't the best place to be if you wanted some peace and quiet. Even though usually Bankotsu was content to be left alone, he didn't mind seeing people around him. It had been a while since he was in the actual city, since the last home he was sent to was up north a ways. Currently, the sky was almost cloud free and a breeze bounded down and in between the streets. It was almost two o'clock when Bankotsu stepped into Koneko Cafe, scanning the place for his friend.

A voice called out accompanied by a waving arm, "Hey, Bankotsu, over here!" Bankotsu turned his head to the left to see his friend sitting on the far side of the cafe, and started walking through the rows of chairs, reaching Jakotsu's table and taking a seat across from him. He assumed his favorite sitting position by leaning back and slouching into the chair, but he didn't get the chance to open his mouth before Jakotsu started talking.

"It's so good to see you, Aniki! How have you been since I saw you last? What's it been, two months? Oh, and estimate for me again how much longer you think you'll stay where you are this time, so I know how much time I have to spend with you!"

"Whoa, slow down Jakotsu!" Bankotsu told his friend, laughing lightly. He reached up and ruffled his bangs out of his sapphire eyes before folding his arms over his chest. "It's great seeing someone I know for a change."

Jakotsu smiled. "Well?"

"What do you want me to answer first?"

"Well, how you've been is the most important thing. So start with that."

"I've been well, could be better," Bankotsu replied. "Same old same old."

Jakotsu reached out and pulled toward him the mocha frappuccino he had ordered earlier, lowering his head so the straw could meet his lips. He took a few sips before saying, "It's good you're closer to the city."

"Yeah, I guess." Bankotsu turned a bit in his chair to look out of the window to the side of them, silently observing the pedestrians that passed by.

"How is the new couple? What are they like exactly? I couldn't tell by your text messages really."

Bankotsu turned his attention back to his friend. "They're very liberating, I guess. They haven't told me about any dumb 'household rules' or anything like that. Uh, the food is good. Kenji is--"

"Who's that?" Jakotsu asked abruptly.

"Oh, Kenji is the guy's name, his wife is Maaya. Anyway, Kenji is pretty quiet. Actually, they're both pretty quiet."

"And no kids, right?"

"No kids."

"Hm." Jakotsu sat forward and rested his forearms in front of him on the table. He blinked and shook his black bangs out of his brown eyes, studying Bankotsu's face across from him. For a moment they stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something first. It turned into an unannounced staring match, which carried on for another minute or two. Suddenly, Jakotsu's face broke out into a wide grin, and he said, "Well I'm very happy for you."

"Yeah, yeah," Bankotsu said, breaking their eye contact to look down at the table. There were little grains of sugar across the table next to a few sugar packets in a cup. He set about gathering them with his index finger.

"You're not upset about it."

"What?" Bankotsu asked, glancing up at Jakotsu's face before returning his gaze to his little task before him.

"Usually when we talk about the family you've been placed with you're really angry about it. You talk about all of the things that bug you first, with little room for things you find enjoyable, if there are any at all."

"You know me too well. I...I just mean they're alright. They're not...great or anything. I'm counting on them to piss me off soon." Once he had a sufficient pile of sugar he turned his hand and flicked his finger to launch the pile onto the floor next to the table. He caught the eye of a cafe employee all the way behind the counter, who was staring straight at him with irritation written all over her little face. Bankotsu held their gaze for a second before flashing the teenaged employee a boyish, winning smile. He could see the girl visibly change her mind about being upset over his sugar-flicking, and proceeded to smile back and promptly found something to busy herself with. "Heh," he mumbled.

"They sound nice...don't you think..."

Bankotsu shot Jakotsu a suspicious look before saying, "What are you talking about?"

Jakotsu took a few more sips from his drink, looking up at Bankotsu to return his suspicious looks. "The new 'rents...you just said you're fine with them."

"In a way, yeah. Jakotsu what are you getting at? If you think I'm actually happy, I'm not. I hate it there just as much as anywhere else," Bankotsu said defensively.

"Oh yeah? Pull the other one."

"I-I'm serious!"

"Whatever you say," Jakotsu said in a sing-song voice.

A frustrated growl came up from within Bankotsu's chest and he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off again.

"Look...maybe you should just relax for a while." Jakotsu paused, and sighed. "I know you may not like it, but really...if you stay, there's still enough time to enroll in a public school. You'll be able to start eleventh grade like the rest of the kids your age. And I think that would do you some good."

"Not happening," Bankotsu deadpanned.

"Aniki, you're being outrageously stubborn."

"So what if I stay?" Bankotsu challenged.

"Then at least you'll be with me," Jakotsu replied. His pretty brow lowered into a frown at his friend's stubbornness, but he continued, determined to try getting through to him. "Since I'm your good friend and all, that wouldn't hurt. Plus, the couple you're with doesn't sound bad at all. Well, you know them better than I do, I know. But it's already your third day and you actually haven't broken anything yet."

An irritated scowl covered Bankotsu's face and he stared down at the table. Jakotsu had a good point...these new fosters really didn't bother him like he thought they would. And in all honesty, going to a public school again, after years of learning in the orphanage facility, didn't sound like a bad idea at all...and Maaya's cooking was good, much better than the cafeteria food he usually ate. Though he may have to swallow a little pride and stop being the toughest kid to handle, he would reap the benefits. He missed making friends. He'd be able to see Jakotsu much more often. And plus, he kinda liked the room he slept in...

"Just give it a chance," Jakotsu added softly. "For once."

He looked up at Jakotsu with a new resolve. Jakotsu was running a hand over the looped hair bun he had done up with his black hair. "Jakotsu," he said.

"Aniki."

"I see your point. I'll tolerate these people...for the food and for the chance to go to a regular school again. But mostly for the food...Maaya is a good cook."

"You don't say," Jakotsu teased. Bankotsu leaned forward on the table, glaring at him to get him to shut up. Jakotsu only smiled knowingly. "Now let's get out of here. If you want anything from here it's on me." Jakotsu stood up from his chair and grabbed his drink, walking towards the front of the store. "You coming?" he called over his shoulder.

Bankotsu stood as well, and said, "Yeah, thanks."

{~*~*~}

It was great being able to spend some time with his friend for once. Bankotsu and Jakotsu ended up visiting several places together, stopped for a late lunch, and for fun decided to hit up an arcade. It was discovered that Jakotsu was superior in gruesome shooting games, and Bankotsu was the master of motorcycle driving. After several hours, Jakotsu got a call from his home and bid farewell to Bankotsu at the train station, catching one in the opposite direction Bankotsu needed to go. 'Today was good,' Bankotsu thought.

Once he got to the Kitamura residence he wasn't exactly prepared for the door to be locked. 'Fuck,' he thought. 'Guess I have to knock...' He rapped his knuckles on the door, and turned to face the driveway looking at the big jeep on the pavement. Soon, the locks on the door switched and he turned around to see Kenji standing there, stepping back holding the door open for him. He lightly smiled at Bankotsu who just looked back at him expressionless.

"Hey there," Kenji said. Bankotsu stepped into the house and slipped off his shoes.

"Hey."

"If you're hungry, dinner is just about finished." With that, Kenji walked away and into the kitchen. Bankotsu heard Maaya's voice but couldn't make out what she said over the sound of the running faucet. It occurred to Bankotsu that the first time he walked into this house Kenji had behaved the same way. That same, "I'm sure you catch my drift" kind of tone played in his words and actions. In a way he kind of liked it, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder why Kenji behaved that way.

Bankotsu wandered into the kitchen after Kenji, following his nose and listening to his growling stomach. He'd never pass up a meal. "Yo," he called to Maaya when he saw her at the sink.

"Hello. Is it nice out this evening?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Bankotsu took a seat at the table, joining Kenji. He knew how to clean up, that was for sure. Instead of smelling like sweat, man, and building materials he smelled like soap and laundry detergent instead. He had on a nice off-white sweater which looked pretty new. Once Kenji noticed Bankotsu studying him he rose his eyebrows as if to ask if something was wrong. Bankotsu just turned his head away.

Maaya came down the length of the kitchen bringing the last of the dinner with her, and the meal commenced.

{~*~*~}

It wasn't until later that evening, while Bankotsu lay sprawled out on his bed staring up at the ceiling, that he heard a quiet but firm knock on his door. "Yeah?" he called.

The door opened and Maaya came in, closing the door softly behind her. "Evening, Bankotsu." She strode across the room and took a seat in the desk chair that was already pulled out. Bankotsu sat up and turned to face her, slightly irritated she intended to stay for a while.

"You want something?" he asked, his words coming out a bit harsher than intended.

Maaya only smiled and clasped her hands. She was in an olive green empire dress that came down to her knees, and half of her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail in the back. She said, "I just wanted to see how you're doing. You haven't said much."

He studied her warily, trying to figure out if she had something up her sleeve or not. His eyes narrowed slightly as he replied, "No, I haven't. And I'm fine." He turned and plopped back down on his back, propping his head up with his hands.

Maaya paused before speaking again. "So what do you want to do?" she asked.

'Ah, I knew she wanted to spit something out,' Bankotsu thought. "I don't get what you mean."

"Are you staying, or are you going?"

He was a bit startled by her forwardness...furthermore, that she had asked him directly if he was going to be a hassle or not. Her approach was smart. He fiddled around in his head with the idea of telling her that he was considering staying put for a while, but that was as good as being sentimental. And as far as he was concerned, he was still a hard ass. He tossed that idea, and thought about just telling her what he wanted out of this situation.

When Bankotsu failed to answer, Maaya looked down at her clasped hands calmly, and then she frowned slightly. She tried to figure out the best way to talk to this kid...

"I want to go to school."

Maaya looked up at him across the room after his sudden reply. She soon smiled and let out a delicate sigh. "Okay. We can look into that. I don't think it's too late to enroll." She stood and pushed in the chair. Bankotsu watched her as she walked towards the door.

"Ah," Maaya said more so to the air than to herself or Bankotsu. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a white envelope and tossed it over to Bankotsu. He reached up and caught it easily, and pulled it up over his face to see it. Inside he could feel a key, and on the front of the envelope there was a stapled receipt. "My apologies, I meant to leave it for you this morning. It's to the front door."

"Thanks..." Bankotsu replied. Maaya opened the door and stepped out into the hall, closing it after bidding him a good night.

He listened to the sound of her footsteps until they could no longer be heard, and then looked at the small receipt again. The purchase was made the day before, Sunday. He slid the envelope under his pillow and then draped his arm over his eyes, shielding them from the overhead light that illuminated the room.

This was just too strange. Even though he wasn't straight rude to these people, he wasn't particularly nice to them either. Since he decided to lay low when he got here, he tried the best he could to seem detached and uninterested to them. But their down right nice behavior was starting to freak him out. Where were the lectures that evening? Why wasn't there a problem with him leaving the door unlocked, like it would have been had he done that at anyone else's house? Why hadn't neither Kenji or Maaya started grimacing from the sight of him yet? They hadn't even asked him about the purple cross mark on his forehead, which was plainly visible almost all of the time. They hadn't put up a fuss yet, about anything. Of course he had seen this before, where the family he temporarily stayed with would try and let his little antics slide for the first few times, maybe even for a week, but eventually they would snap and get angry, and tell him off, quickly deciding enough was enough from him and send him back to the orphanage. Bankotsu had the odd feeling that they wouldn't send him back to the orphanage over anything rash he did. And that alone unnerved him. The loss of control was evident. But if he wanted to stay, he'd have to settle for taking the backseat, letting Kenji and Maaya drive the three of them forward at a dizzying speed.

Bankotsu grimaced under his arm before raising himself off the bed and changing into his night clothes. He hit the light switch and immediately hit the pillow, hoping to lose his thoughts to the ever-present idea of sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, I wonder how I managed to end both the first and second chapters with Bankotsu going to sleep on us. __ Well, don't worry. This shouldn't be a recurring theme, lol.

Auuuugh, those typos were bothering me so much in chapter one that I scanned the hell out of this one. But if I missed something then don't tell me, lol.

Now I know some of you may think this story is going nowhere, fast, but keep calm! This isn't a hardcore action fic, so there's not much of a *bang* I could add for the beginning. Things will undoubtedly become more interesting once more characters come into play. I'll try to make the next chapter fun.

You know, I always end up forgetting what I really wanted to say in my author's notes section, because I always think of the best stuff _while I'm writing the story_. And then I end up forgetting it. Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, yay! Now, time to do some character development. [/Hint]


	3. Few Inhibitions

**AN:** So last night (well, more like at the break of dawn) the last two episodes of Inuyasha in which Bankotsu was present aired. At 5AM... Needless to say I was happy, even though it was early. Still can't believe I actually got up for that. But. Just goes to show how much I like that damn show, haha. So I spent a good amount of time between uploading chapter 2 and chapter 3 doing some more story, plot, and character development, which I must say has helped me tremendously in staying on track. I also did my homework on Japanese high school life, which will help me stay a bit realistic.

Guys, I'm terrible at remembering holidays. O__o; I hadn't the slightest clue this weekend consisted of St. Patricks Day...oops. I thought I missed Mothers Day earlier this week because I got March and May mixed up. Talk about throwing myself for a tizzy. And I keep thinking it's April...it's clearly March. Ah, well.

**Living to Let Go**

**Chapter 3**

**Few Inhibitions  
**

Finally, the day had come. This was really it. The day Bankotsu would step back into public school, hopefully to graduate from it as well. Throughout the month of August he set about taking the entrance exams, and passed, successfully opening the door for him to go back to public school. He was extremely late applying though, and the only reason he was enrolled was because one of the students dropped their enrollment status soon after Bankotsu applied. So that was something to be happy about. As a sort of celebratory treat, Maaya rose early that morning and cooked a wonderful breakfast for him, as well as a large, delicious bento box for his lunch. Despite wanting to keep his bad boy persona going to an extent, he decided to leave quite early for school. He hopped on a train and was there after a few stops, and for the first time in several grueling years, he stepped onto a public campus. This was going to be great, to say the least.

Now, he didn't really know where he was going. He hadn't bothered to get a school map during registration to guide him through the enormous campus. Nevertheless, he took the entrance stairs with a grand stride, and a winning smile spread wide across his tanned face. After he dug out the combination code for his outdoor coat locker and switched into his school shoes, he set off into the school.

There weren't many other students around yet, there were just teachers here and there that speckled the corridors. One of the things Bankotsu noticed first was how large the halls were. Some of them were wide enough to fit twelve students shoulder to shoulder from one side to the other. He walked directly down the middle, one foot in front of the other as if balancing on the sole stripe of blue tiles on the floor beneath him. There were already posters and flyers posted on some of the activity boards in the hallways that listed information he didn't care to read just yet. He was too busy feeling excellent about being there. He continued to walk for a while longer, soaking in his surroundings, before more students started to show up, sending a light hum of conversation trailing through the halls.

His hair was braided as usual, swaying back and forth slightly as he walked. His right arm was raised up to let the school bag in his hand droop over his shoulder. A question ran through his mind as he turned a corner: he was here, now what? Of course he couldn't walk around forever. Besides, he was actually excited to get into class, since it felt like summer vacation lasted too long this year. After ten minutes of exploring, he stopped and turned around to face the opposite direction. By now he suspected almost everyone was here, mingling before class was called to session. He had already ascended the stairs up to the third floor, and it was on this floor he was assigned to a classroom. Now he just had to find it.

"Where is it?" he mumbled to himself, as he swung his bag off his shoulder to reach inside to find his schedule. Just as he began to pull the sheet of paper out of his bag, he heard a loud, distinctly familiar scream sound from the end of the hall behind him.

"ANIKI!"

Bankotsu blinked in surprise. He barely had time to close his bag and turn around to see Jakotsu charging at him. Bankotsu's eyes widened and before he knew it he was on the floor, as his friend had literally knocked the air out of him. "Jakotsu!" he said from the floor, noting how his friend had remained standing and was now hovering over him with a cheesy grin. Jakotsu reached down to offer him a hand, and he took hold of it and stood up. Bankotsu noticed the outburst and tackle scene had gained a lot of attention, and so looked around at the students surrounding the area with a mildly amused expression on his face. Meanwhile, Jakotsu wouldn't stop talking beside him.

"It's so good to see you! Aren't you excited for your first day? Let me see your schedule, I'll show you where your classes are! Oh Aniki, this is great, just great! When did you get here? And hey, why didn't you wait for me before you left, I wanted to walk with you!"

"You sure do talk fast," Bankotsu held up both hands to slow Jakotsu down if only for a moment, before stooping to pick up his bag which lay near where he fell. He then turned to Jakotsu and said, "Yeah, I'm great, you?"

"Never been better, now that you're here," Jakotsu replied. "Now, hand over that schedule of yours, I'll show you around the place." He locked arms with Bankotsu and pulled him down the hall from the direction in which he came, with all the intentions of jamming as much talk into Bankotsu's head as he could before school started.

{~*~*~}

School started, alright. Off to a rocky start. Jakotsu led him through the halls to his classroom on time, which was good. But as soon as Jakotsu bid him farewell and he stepped inside, many eyes fell on him and he could hear the faint words "new kid" floating around. He casually maneuvered through the rows of desks and clusters of students and found a vacant seat, almost slap bang in the middle of the room. Then, not only did his homeroom teacher look like a creeper, but he also told Bankotsu to shut up (in so many words) while he was trying to meet people, words which Bankotsu didn't take kindly to at all. Homeroom didn't last very long, but by the time it was over, the teacher was ready to kick Bankotsu out into the hall for continuing to talk. The bell rang just in time.

The teacher left instead, leaving a very irritable Bankotsu behind. But as soon as the first regular teacher stepped foot into the classroom, he got the distinct feeling that he wouldn't like his liberal studies teacher either, not one bit. What made things worse, he started the day with her bad attitude rubbing off on him.

He tried to make his frustration subside, especially once he noticed some of his peers glancing at him from time to time out of amusement. He didn't like that kind of attention, so he silently resolved to make it through the rest of the day anger-free. Unfortunately for him, his teacher just had to be the bitchy type.

A tall, slender woman in a white blouse and black pencil skirt stood in front of the class, behind a wooden podium, waiting for the students to notice her trying to get their attention silently. When that tactic failed, she calmly walked to the chalk board behind her and began to write out her name instead. This grabbed some of the students' attention, and the volume level went down as people settled into their seats and looked to the board to see what she wrote.

The woman finished writing, put her stick of chalk down, and approached the podium again. She threw a glance toward the door leading to the hallway, before placing her hands on both sides of the podium. She then spoke. "Welcome to class 2-B, I am your new teacher, Ms. Kikyo Tanaka. I hope you all had a fun summer, because this class will not be." There was a beat of silence, and she held her face in a poised, serious expression.

A disembodied voice from the sea of 20-something heads in the classroom whispered, "Damn."

Kikyo's eyes flitted across each student's face in silent observation. The class continued to wait in silence, slightly on edge. "Everyone, starting with you," she pointed to a girl at the front corner of the room, "Will stand and state his or her name to the class."

And so the roll call began. Most kids just stood, shrugged along with their name and sat back down, but there were a few girls who took it as an opportunity to "express their personalities." Judging by how the three of them sat in a cluster in one section of the room, they had to be a clique. One guy somehow managed to bump his head on his desk while standing up, and there was another kid who had fallen asleep on his desk from the moment he sat down in his chair before Homeroom, who woke with a start when someone kicked his desk to get him to stand up.

That kid was a lazy goof, but he proved to be quite the character when he announced his name loudly and offered the class a clumsy bow, complete with the propelling hand and a wave of his arm. "My name," he paused, " Is Yoshi Kugimiya, pleased to meet you! I should hope we'll have a great year together, everyone. In fact, I-"

"Sit down," called Kikyo's cool voice from the podium. Yoshi blinked in surprise and sat back down in his chair with a maniacal smile spread wide across his face. When the roll call failed to continue, Kikyo tried to look past Yoshi's head to see who sat behind him. "Next."

If there was one thing Bankotsu didn't like to do when he wasn't in the mood, it was pull unwanted attention to himself in front of a bunch of people. He momentarily closed his eyes before pushing himself up to stand beside his desk. He settled for the careless approach. "Bankotsu." He made to sit back down, but he didn't even lay a hand on the desk before Kikyo's voice rang out.

"Last name?" She eyed him openly.

"Look, didn't we do this in homeroom?" Bankotsu asked. He moved a hand to sweep his bangs out of his eyes. Why was he starting to feel uncomfortable? This woman wasn't a threat, she was just annoying. He sat back down and rested his chin on an up-turned palm, looking off to the side. "Matsumoto."

Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly at his behavior, but only for a short moment. The roll call continued. The first week of school was going to be a long one.

{~*~*~}

She had almost forgotten what being in school felt like...summer vacation was long, hot, and fun, and school was also long and hot, but it wasn't fun. After only a few days of school being back in session, Cali suddenly found a great interest in marking her personal calendar for their next day off.

She hadn't brought a bento that day because she woke up too late and forgot to grab it when she raced out of her house. So instead of eating, she entertained herself by balancing a pencil on her nose with her head tipped back, while absently fingering a lock of her short brown hair.

She had to admit...even though school was already getting on her nerves, she still missed it. There were several lapses over the summer where she'd had nothing to do for too long, and had even pulled out her text books to study last year's material. Sure she took trips, went out with her friends, and enjoyed her break. She knew never to take a break for granted. If only her new classmates weren't so...dry, uninteresting. There was always that clown Yoshi, who was also in her class last year, but he had the unique skill of sleeping with his eyes open during class, so he wasn't much fun to watch most of the time. If anything, it was a bit unnerving. And then there was the new kid with the purple tattoo in the middle of his forehead (something Cali couldn't understand at all). But he didn't look like he wanted to talk most of the time, and if he ever did talk to his classmates, it was usually with the uppity girls who needed a good flirt, or one of the guys trying to get him to join a sport. Cali was neither, so kept away from him.

Cali let out an audible sigh, completely zoned out, and unaware that her pencil had fallen from her nose some time ago. Someone knocked on her desk, snapping her out of her trance. She sat up and smiled at the guy standing next to her. "Hikaru."

"Not hungry today?" Hikaru asked, pulling a vacant chair up to sit at her desk. "You're usually raging on about starving."

Cali only grimaced, suddenly aware of how her stomach had turned into a grouch. "I kinda forgot my lunch..."

"Nice move. Here." Hikaru smiled, reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple notes and handed them to her. "Swing by the vending machines. Bring me back lychee juice?"

"Thanks, and sure." Cali stood, placed her pencil on her desk, and stepped out into the hall.

Hikaru remained at Cali's desk and began to eat his lunch quietly. It was Friday, the end of the first week of school. The last teacher had stepped out, leaving the students to handle themselves and eat lunch. A window was open, letting a warm breeze float through the room. Hikaru only recognized a couple of students in his class this year, since he wasn't so great at making friends. He leaned over his food and continued to eat until he felt a hard slap on his back. He coughed, trying not to choke on his food from the surprise, and twisted around quickly to see who hit him.

"Oh, Isamu," Hikaru said between small coughs. "It's you."

"Yes, it is," the girl replied with a breezy voice. As she stood over Hikaru, she looked quite tall in perspective. She had a short pixie cut, spiked up here and there as if she had just risen from bed, and round brown eyes. She stuck her lips out to one side before saying, "You haven't said a word to me the entire week. I was beginning to suspect you were ignoring me." She moved to take a seat in Cali's chair, and rested her elbows on the desk.

"No, I just...have't looked around the room much." Hikaru offered her an apologetic smile before taking another bite.

"Well aren't you Mr. Observant." Isamu lightly punched Hikaru's arm before pulling back and resting her chin on her up-turned palm. She crossed her legs and bobbed her foot in the air while scanning the class with her eyes.

"No lunch today either? So many girls are starving themselves today," Hikaru mused. "Both you and Cali."

"Unlike Cali, I have a lunch. I'm just saving it for later. The first meeting for Lacrosse is this afternoon, and I'll need all the energy I can get." An audible growl escaped Isamu's stomach and her eyes widened before she quickly reached down and covered her abdomen with both hands.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "I think your stomach is putting up a protest."

"Yes, well it knows nothing." Isamu idly rubbed her hands up and down.

There was a loud, startling slam, and the classroom's inhabitants all stopped to look for the source of the noise. Standing with his fists held up before his chest, a male student stepped back from the desk that had just tipped over. Untangling himself from the fallen desk was Bankotsu, taking his time and dusting off his uniform. He stood fully before the stocky student, face straight, with only the desk between them. Anyone could have said it was an unfair fight, being that Bankotsu was shorter and skinnier than the tall, burly student, whose biceps pulled at his uniform sleeves. The student curled his upper lip at Bankotsu, and a low growl escaped his throat.

"You got anything else to say, squirt?" the big student barked.

"Sure, I could do this all day," Bankotsu replied, a smirk easing its way onto his face.

"You talk big words. Let's see you back it up!" With that, the scruffy, big student lunged forward, over the fallen desk, with his fist aiming straight for Bankotsu's face. Bankotsu parried his punch, and using the guy's momentum, pulled his arm forward causing him to trip. He landed face first on the floor, and lay there for a second out of shock. By now many students had scrambled out of the way, and two had taken off to find a faculty member. Bankotsu stood over him, temped to raise his shoe over the boy's head, but refrained. The student scrambled from the floor and immediately locked eyes with Bankotsu, a little blood peeking out of his nose.

"You got somethin' on your face," Bankotsu said. His smirk widened when his livid opponent let out a shout and swung out another wild fist towards him. Bankotsu stepped back, misjudging how much room was behind him, and his backside met a desk. His head was thrown straight back when the student's fist connected with his jaw, almost giving him whiplash. He was stunned for a second, his senses reeling, and blinked rapidly before leaning forward again. He barely had enough time to duck as the student's fist came at him. By now all of the students were screaming about the fight. Some cheering, others yelling at the two to stop, and the rest either trying to stay out of the way, or suffer the unsightly consequences.

Bankotsu tried to side step and stand fully to deliver his own blow, but halfway up his his neck was met by the guy's hands in a painful grip. His hands raced up to claw at the hands, but the grip was locked and he was starting to wonder if he'd get out of it in time.

"You...asshole," he scoffed and smirked as best he could. He could hear a faculty member coming toward them, yelling at the top of his lungs at the two of them to stop. But the angry student wasn't letting go, and was staring hard at Bankotsu with a menacing glare on his sharp features. Bankotsu was starting to see spots, which made a little adrenaline course through him. He raised his leg and kicked as hard as he could into the student's abdomen. Thankfully, the grip on his neck was released immediately, but a hard grip came onto his shoulders at once and he was jerked backwards and hauled out of the room before he knew what was happening.

{~*~*~}

The Dean was a very quiet and collected person. He was your average man, with his hair combed to the side and a modest watch on his wrist. No one ever heard him raise his voice. Despite the hard look he wore on his face, he was a generous man. But if there were two things he couldn't stand, one was hooligans, and the other was said hooligans destroying his school's reputation.

"I didn't do anything, he started it!"

"I don't think you see what I see here, Taichi. Bankotsu's face says differently. I'm sure he didn't manage to punch himself." The dean looked dryly upon Taichi who was slumped back in his chair, using wide arm movements to express his apparent anger.

"He punched me in the nose!" Taichi said, pointing angrily at the wad of tissue stuffed up one of his nostrils.

"You actually tripped and landed face first, don't you remember?" Isamu commented casually. She stood off to the side of the two boys.

"He tried chokin' me too," Bankotsu added.

"He what?" The Dean's eyes widened and looked between Taichi and Bankotsu nervously. "Taichi..." Taichi's eyes widened dramatically at the Dean's attention being taken away from him so easily by the guy next to him.

"Want me to demonstrate?" Bankotsu moved to stand from his seat but the Dean's hand motioned for him to stay seated.

"N-no, that's fine, stay seated." The Dean let out a nervous sigh and rested his elbows on the desk before him, clasping his fingers together.

"God...I'm telling you, I didn't start it!" The two boys had been carted off to the Dean's office as soon as the fight between them was broken up. They now sat side by side in the Dean's office, facing the desk in front of them. Bankotsu lightly prodded his jaw, trying to gauge the extent of the damage, while Taichi was completely on edge. He ran a large hand through his greasy black hair.

"Oh really?" Isamu taunted, rolling her eyes. She folded her arms together and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Because you never, _ever_ start any of the fights you get into. The first insult _never_ comes out of _your_ mouth, not ever." She layered her words thick with sarcasm.

"Shut up, Isamu!" Taichi growled. She innocently smiled back at him.

"And just what did you have to do with this again, Isamu?" The Dean let out a sigh and rubbed his temples.

"I serve as a witness. And I say Bankotsu is an innocent."

"What?! Why are you taking his side like that?!" Taichi hollered. He flailed his arms again out of frustration, and Bankotsu quickly slapped one down when it came too close to him. Taichi glared at him. "Watch it. Hey! You guys saw that, right? He's violent I tell you!"

"If I remember correctly, _you_ flipped over _his_ desk." Isamu said breezily.

"For no apparent reason might I add." Bankotsu looked at Taichi. "Do you have anger management issues?" Bankotsu asked through the amused smile on his face.

The Dean's tolerance for bickering teenagers was running low. He took on an authoritative tone and said, "All of you, stop it. Isamu, you are to return to class. Bankotsu, Taichi, a word with you."

Isamu hesitated for a second before turning on her heel and casually walking out of the room, closing the wooden door behind her.

She walked a short ways to a bench outside of the office, away from the window that looked out into the corridor. She crossed her legs and kept her arms folded while she waited for the boys to come out. Things had gone quiet in the school again since lunch period was over and class was back in session. She lazily examined her knee and started bobbing her foot. It was nice being out of class. What was even better was the fight earlier. She hadn't seen that much intensity in a classroom since primary school when a kid's lunch revolted all over her group table... One thing was clear; Taichi was the bad guy here, and several classes knew it. He was known for picking fights, but she hadn't seen him get _this_ worked up in a long time. Maybe the new student just rubbed him the wrong way.

The door to the Dean's office opened suddenly and out stepped Bankotsu, who closed the door behind him and started walking back to class. Isamu jumped up and walked a few paces behind him. "So, what's the verdict?"

"Why do you care?" Bankotsu slipped his hands into his blazer pockets and carried on.

"'Cause I wanna know."

"You're meddling."

"Well," Isamu caught up with him, "You have to admit I helped you out in there."

"I don't have to admit to anything," Bankotsu replied frankly.

"If it weren't for me you probably would have been suspended. I'll hazard a guess and say Taichi got the boot, not you?"

Bankotsu opened his mouth to reply, but closed it promptly. There was no point to talk to this girl, really. But, then again, she wasn't asking for any of his business with that last inquiry...well, not much of it. "Yeah...three days, and he has to do 'o soji'* in the classroom by himself today."

"Oh. Poor sod," Isamu tutted. "So how do you like it here?" They turned a sharp corner and headed up the stairwell.

Bankotsu blinked hard. This girl was full of questions, and she was greatly annoying him. "Look, don't you have class or something? Go bug somebody else, okay?"

"I'm in your class." Isamu rolled her eyes. "Haven't cared to look around?"

"Oh...no," he said defensively.

"Your observation skills need a little work, wouldn't you say? You remind me of someone." Isamu waggled her eyebrows before turning away from him.

Bankotsu was about to reply with a few choice words, but they had already reached their classroom, and Isamu was already sliding back the door. But that was okay, because he could wait to verbally slap her some other time she decided to be as annoying as she was capable of. His brow twitched from mounting irritation, but he closed the door behind him and made his way to his desk without another word. The weekend would start in a few hours, and he was looking forward to it.

{~*~*~}

**AN:** A note for anyone who is confused about this: * - O Soji is what Japanese students participate in at the end of the school day. They clean the classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, and pick up litter outside of the school. Poor Taichi, he has to do the classroom all by himself.

How do you guys like Kikyo as a teacher? I figured it would be funny to put her in there, hehe.

This fic has a bit of a "slice of life" theme to it right now. But don't worry. It won't last for long.

One of the challenging things about writing with Bankotsu as our main character is that if the story is not placed in the feudal era, it's pretty hard to find a reason for him to be associated with all of his brothers from the Shichinintai. Thus I must create the OCs. But relax, there won't be any Mary Sues in here.


	4. Set in Motion

AN: Sigh, I know. It's been a hella long time. Since I'm a pixel artist, I've went ahead and joined my first doll pageant. I suppose that sounds silly to someone who doesn't care for pixel art...Anyways, things start to take shape in this chapter. I really tried to focus on describing things well in this one. Changed the rating from M to T, and changed the story summary a bit so it sounds better.

* * *

**Living to Let Go**

**Chapter Four**

**Set in Motion**

**

* * *

**

The city sparkled at night. Looking over the tops of the tall buildings and towers into the setting sun, one really got a feel for how far the city stretched out. The sky was streaked with the lines of long, wispy clouds that always seemed to appear early in the morning and just before nightfall. Their translucent appearance let the backdrop of oranges, purples, and blues permeate the sky, which would eventually, like most other nights, fade into a deep indigo. One by one the skyscrapers switched on their rooftop lights, the storekeepers turned on their neon signs, and the street lamps flickered to life, illuminating the roads and sidewalks. Tons of people were out. Of course, it was a Friday night. High school students walked home from cram school, business men went out to eat with their business partners and associates, and friends looking for a good time made their way to their favorite bars throughout the evening. There was an exuberant energy that flowed through the air. The feeling of wanting to have fun was contagious, and Kagura was not immune to it.

Situated on the top floor of a hotel, she sat gazing down at the streets below. One knee was pulled up to her chest, while the other leg reached down to the floor, hanging off the edge of the window seat she inhabited. She was in a subdued state, silently casting a dull glare through the thick glass she leaned against. She could almost _taste _the happiness 30 stories below her. But she just wasn't close enough. Hell, even if she were standing on the sidewalk submerged in it, she still wouldn't be a part of it.

Instead, she was stuck in this master suite with no lighting, little food, and no one to talk to. It wasn't as if she could call up a friend, she didn't have any. Even if she did have someone to call, she wouldn't invite them there. It may have been one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the city with excellent room service and the best bed she'd ever slept on, but money didn't buy happiness, and it certainly wouldn't buy a true friend.

Then she lightly snorted. The thought...wanting to have fun? Her? Why would such a thing even occur to her? "Fun" wasn't necessary to survival; it was something that wasted time. And so did "friends." You didn't need friends, you only needed connections. And you only needed connections if you couldn't do everything yourself. Once again she successfully convinced herself that all in the world was as it should be. All the others 30 stories below could keep their fun and friends, because she was adept when it came to living without those trivial things. She would be just fine alone. If only she were actually alone.

"Kagura. Come here."

A quiet yet demanding voice sounded from the other end of the suite, in the separate bedroom. Kagura's eyes shot from the window over to the short hall, before they slid closed briefly. She held her breath so she wouldn't sigh in annoyance, and pulled herself up from the window sill, making her way through the sitting room and over to the bedroom door, and pushed it open. She let her hand rest on the door handle and looked to Naraku in the corner. "What is it?"

The man had his back to the door, as he looked out of the window in the same direction Kagura had been gazing. She could tell his arms were folded, and that meant he was thinking hard about something. The light wasn't on in the bedroom either; Naraku didn't care for much light, and so did not permit Kagura to turn any on unless he ordered her to. He took in a breath and held it for a short moment before saying, "I need you to find something for me. Someone, rather."

Kagura waited for him to elaborate, but when he remained silent she asked, "...Just any person?"

"No actually, one with pigs feet."

Kagura squeezed her eyes shut out of irritation. She opened her eyes and regained her neutral expression as soon as she heard him shift to look at her.

"Funny?" he asked. His tone of voice was unusually casual.

"Not really."

He seemed to shrug his shoulders, but she couldn't really tell in the dark. He turned toward the glass again and said, "I need a human who can be easily manipulated. Preferably female? They tend to crack easier."

Kagura took her time in replying. "...And what exactly do you need with someone like that?"

Naraku raised a brow critically, unseen by Kagura. "And when exactly was it okay to start interrogating me?"

Kagura bit her tongue. She wished she hadn't have let his casual tone fool her. "Right," she said, taking a couple steps back, pulling the door to close it behind her.

"Oh, and Kagura," Naraku said. She stopped pulling the door shut and waited for him to continue through the crack. "Do work quickly this time. You'll have a nice reward for your troubles if you operate in a timely fashion."

"I will." Kagura pulled the door shut and walked back into the open living room.

She stood there, placing one hand on her hip and glaring at the sofa before her. '_No point in wasting anymore time here_,' she thought. She took a moment to breathe in deeply, before she stalked to the other end of the sofa, grabbed her jacket, and made her way out of the suite soundly.

{~*~*~}

A good month had passed since Bankotsu's initial fight with Taichi, and needless to say it certainly wasn't their last. They had managed to form a silent agreement of sorts to pick at each other whenever possible; Taichi's goal was to protect his title as the toughest of all Juniors in the school to handle, and Bankotsu's goal was to steal the title from him. It was an on-going battle, and ended up causing two more physical fights between the two boys. Amazingly enough, the Dean saw the _good_ in both of them and spared them the punishment of suspension as much as he could. Plus, with such good students attending his institution year after year, he rarely had any students in his office anyway; one could say he somewhat... "enjoyed" the brief company.

Bankotsu was gaining friends just as fast as he gained bruises. If he wasn't being introduced to seniors by Jakotsu, he was, somewhat reluctantly at first, starting to spend free class time, lunch periods, and study hours with a few of his classmates. In Bankotsu's perception, Hikaru had "genius" written across his forehead, even though he tried his best to stay modest about his excellent grades. Isamu was like a mosquito in his ear at times, but he hadn't grown tired of her tasteful sarcasm yet. And last but not least there was Cali, the Eurasian girl who mixed up her customs half the time. Slowly but surely he began to accept the fact that he had more friends; knowing when to make relationships and knowing when to fly solo had always been tricky when it came to jumping homes the way he did. But this time, since both he and Jakotsu insisted he settle down, he figured it wouldn't hurt to have some more company.

Don't think for a moment that Bankotsu only caused a ruckus at school. While he deemed Kenji and Maaya, his fosters, acceptable, he still couldn't keep himself from messing around for "old time's sake." So, to make up for some lost time, tubes of toothpaste were filled with wasabi, the shower head was rigged with red powdered juice concentrate, the cable bill more than doubled in two weeks, empty beverage cartons were placed in the fridge, forks kept finding their way into the garbage disposal, the toilet seat was left up all the time, and every so often the faucet in the kitchen was rigged to spray it's next victim. Kenji and Maaya caught on quickly, and to Bankotsu's satisfaction started to get irritated when being passive wasn't making him stop fast enough. To his dismay, they didn't bother too much to get him to quit. If Bankotsu was around while one of the pranks was played out in front of him by Kenji, the older man would only raise his eyebrows briefly before saying, "Good one," and leaving the room. Although Maaya was the first to get irritated, she still managed to laugh at each prank presented to her. She had a sense of humor, that was certain.

So with September gone and October in full swing, school-wide activities were beginning to crop up everywhere in preparation for the annual cultural festival. At first Bankotsu didn't feel like participating until he found out it was mandatory. His class was planning to work hard to fundraise money for their class excursion less than two months away, and if he didn't help fundraise he wouldn't be going along. Bankotsu had never been on a week long excursion before, and wanted to attend if only for the chance to get away from "home" for a while. He usually got a lot of encouragement from Jakotsu, and thus wasn't surprised when his friend was ecstatic for him to participate. He made it a goal to actually try his best during the festival; more money raised then, less extra fundraising afterwards. The first week of October was a week to be filled with intense planning and preparation.

* * *

"Another week."

"Another night of cram school..."

"Another afternoon of practice."

"Hmm."

"Oh yes, another creep." Isamu stepped a little closer to Cali as a stumped man in bedraggled clothing made his way along the train platform with a full black plastic bag slung over his shoulder. As he passed behind them, quietly muttering to himself, Isamu reached a hand up to run her fingers though her hair. There were plenty of people down in the subway stop that Monday morning. All of the benches were taken, so Cali and Isamu stood somewhere in the middle. A deep rumbling could be heard from the underground tunnels, slowly engulfing the entire platform, and neither girl could tell from which direction the train was coasting until it zoomed out of the tunnel and it's speed began descending.

"Another...train...that isn't ours?" Cali leaned and turned around to see the bullet train on the other side of the platform come to a stop. "Haaah," she sighed. She turned back around and lightly kicked the pavement, switching her school bag from one hand to the other.

"Hey..." Isamu studied Cali's profile momentarily before continuing. "Aren't you a little empty-handed today? Where's your lunch?"

"What?" Cali looked down at her hands, then snapped her gaze to Isamu's face, her own holding a look of despair. "I forgot it again!" The bullet train behind them suddenly slid off, creating another uproar of noise echoing off the concrete walls and pillars.

Isamu spoke up. "You should get back into the swing of things, airhead. You can't go hungry the entire school year." Isamu playfully nudged Cali's calf with the end of her shoe. The shorter girl looked about the platform nervously, as if trying to spot her bento even though it was all the way back in her house. Isamu shook her head. "Ah-ah, if you're thinking about running to get it, you better think again. Train's here."

As soon as the words fell from her lips, the awaited train flew past them, racing to the other end of the stop for the new passengers. Everyone walked forward and waited for the exiting passengers to step off.

Once on the train, the two girls stole a spot near the door and held onto the vertical rails as the train pulled off. They often didn't talk very much while on trains going to and from school; students from their institution were expected to stand quietly, offering other passengers seats instead. Cali, still feeling sorry for herself, tipped her head back and slumped her shoulders. Just knowing she forgot her lunch again made her suspiciously hungrier.

Several stops came and went, but they still had another twenty minutes before they reached their destination. Soon, the train doors slid open and along with the rest of the moving crowd came a pretty chatty couple. In the bustle of people walking past her and Cali to claim a seat others had left behind, Isamu quietly observed the crowd to find them.

At the opposite end of the car, Bankotsu and Jakotsu stepped onto the train, deep in conversation. They snagged a couple of seats and resumed talking.

"That voice sounds familiar..." Cali lowered her head and immediately looked straight at both boys between the crowd. "Right there."

Isamu turned around to look. "Just who I was looking for," she said in a relative tone. Isamu leaned into Cali's ear and said, "Come on, time for small talk."

"Huh?" Cali was already being pulled along by Isamu who was excusing them down the aisle until they stood just in front of their classmate and his friend. They reached up and held onto the overhead railing as the train changed speeds.

Jakotsu stopped his sentence short and looked up to survey the two girls. His elated expression went a bit flat as he regarded them both. Bankotsu was the first to say something. "Hey, morning ladies. Can I help you?" His eyebrow raised when he caught sight of Cali's slightly saggy expression.

"Hey. I've never seen you on this route before," Isamu said.

"Well, there are multiple cars to one train," replied Bankotsu in a matter-of-fact tone.

"True." She nodded. "Then again, it's been a good month, we should have ran into each other sooner. Anyway, I obviously know you," Isamu looked pointedly at Bankotsu, then continued. "But I have yet to be introduced to your friend. You're a senior aren't you?"

"Yeah." Jakotsu shifted in his seat so he wasn't directly facing them, and tried to discreetly send Bankotsu a critical look.

Bankotsu ignored his friend's obvious irritation. "This is Jakotsu."

"I'm Isamu, this is Cali. Nice to meet you," Isamu nodded. Her brow raised slightly at his and Bankotsu's names being so similar.

"Nice to meet you, Jakotsu," Cali said, taking her hand from the railing and offering it to him. The train suddenly jerked and caused Cali to stumble. "Whoa," she muttered, placing her hand back on the railing above her head.

Jakotsu regarded her warily and replied, "No need for pleasantries."

From there, the thin thread of conversation snapped and the four of them lapsed into an awkward, heavy silence for the rest of the trip. Jakotsu remained twisted around, Isamu rolled her eyes lamely, and Bankotsu closed his eyes and leant his head back against the glass window. Cali regarded Bankotsu openly, taking in as much of his appearance as she could. He sat somewhere behind her during class, so it wasn't like she got the chance to inspect him very often. That was her thing; to observe. She had an eccentric nature about her, which sometimes kept her moving and distracted, but when she wanted to slow down she would simply begin to observe instead of inputting. She held her gaze on Bankotsu before her. His most peculiar feature, undoubtedly the one that got the most attention, was the four-pointed star on his forehead. '_Talk about making a statement_,' she thought. '_I can't help but wonder why_-'

Jakotsu caught Cali's intense gaze and narrowed his eyes toward her at once. "Got a problem?"

"Uhm, no! No problem." Cali guiltily shifted her gaze to look out of the window and took a small step back.

"Didn't think so...it's our stop. Come on, Aniki." With that, Jakotsu grabbed Bankotsu's uniform sleeve quickly and all but dragged him off the train. Bankotsu put up a mild protest but easily complied.

* * *

It wasn't until they had left the train stop and had been walking for several minutes that the two girls bothered to say anything about their previous encounter.

"Geez..." Cali mumbled as they approached the school gate. Bankotsu and Jakotsu could just be seen disappearing around a row of outdoor lockers. Jakotsu had sped up his pace with Bankotsu considerably in order to avoid the girls. Bankotsu tossed a look behind his shoulder quickly, catching sight of them, but that was about all the acknowledgement they would receive until class later.

"Don't let him get your panties in a bunch, dear. He's a queer, can't you tell?" Isamu said, eyeing the ground as she walked.

"Well, yes, but still! That's no excuse. Way to be rude." They crossed through the gate and approached their lockers, working the combinations side by side before they reached in and switched their shoes.

"Hm. Next time just bow your head like you're supposed to?" Isamu offered.

"Yeah...I forget that sometimes." Cali let out a small nervous laugh while she leaned against the locker to tug a shoe on. "Do you think they're related? Their names are awfully similar."

Isamu pondered for a moment as she adjusted her shoe strap. "No, I don't."

"But he called Bankotsu 'aniki'." Cali paused. "Wait, he's a senior, he's older than Bankotsu."

Isamu closed her locker, and when she looked at Cali's creased brow, she reached over and slammed hers, effectively snapping Cali out of her daze. "Maybe Bankotsu flunked."

"He wouldn't have gotten into this school if he flunked." Cali said, picking up her school bag from the floor beside her.

"Stop thinking about it please? We'll be late if you keep standing there." Isamu turned and started to walk toward the school doors, with Cali close behind.

{~*~*~}

Because the homeroom teacher had been so late in his arrival, the announcements for the day hadn't been given yet. Kikyo strode in, learned of the situation, and sat down at her desk. She rose the paper that the previous instructor had handed to her on his way out of the door, and asked, "Whose turn is it for announcements today?" There was a slight lull in the classroom's response, and everyone looked around trying to decipher who they'd left off with last Friday. Kikyo's eyelids lowered slightly.

Eventually it was established that it was Yoshi's turn to read the announcements, so he rose from his seat, walked to the front of the class and took the paper from Kikyo. "Why thank you, Ms. Tanaka," he said politely with a short bow.

"Just read. We've got work to do."

Yoshi rose his eyebrows and held his smile as he backed up across the floor to the podium. He made a little show of smoothing down his shirt, clearing his throat and gaining a serious expression, all of it being overly-exaggerated. Kikyo couldn't help but raise a hand to brace the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"First and foremost, good morning my fellow classmates."

"Yoshi," Kikyo snapped.

"Uh, right! So, first announcement..." he skimmed the first few lines, and then paraphrased. "It's about time we know which Saturdays we'll all be attending a half day of school. Uh...it says, the second and fourth Saturdays of each month until the end of the first term." The class quietly voiced their approval. Last year they had to attend three out of four, so it was nice to have one more day off.

Yoshi continued, "Next one. Student council wants us to fundraise for the class excursion coming up. Which is...a camping trip this year. Sounds like fun, guys, doesn't it? Doesn't that sound like fun, Ms. Tanaka?" Yoshi turned his head to look at his teacher but quickly looked back down at the paper when he caught sight of her ticked expression. "And the last one is, and I quote, 'A reminder to all students that this institution hosts exceptional students and staff, and therefore cannot and will not tolerate abusive or threatening behavior from any student under any circumstances.'" Yoshi put the paper down on top of the podium and walked back to his seat, adding, "Looks like they've got an eye on you, Taichi," with a widespread smile. Taichi just glared at him from his desk.

Kikyo stood then, and removed a stack of stapled papers from her desk drawer. "Honestly," she said as she walked to the front of each aisle handing the first student a small stack to pass backwards. "If _any_ of you start another fight, I swear..." She cut herself short, remembering she was addressing students. This first class of the day had already made a mockery of her in the teacher's lounge. Being accused of threatening them would not do.

{~*~*~}

Later that evening, the Kitamura household was relatively quiet, aside from the sounds of Maaya fixing dinner in the kitchen, and Kenji watching the television in the den. He was situated on the couch with the remote hanging limply from his hand, as he flipped through the channels looking for something relatively interesting to watch...he only cared for a few television shows out of all, and unfortunately none of them were on. He settled on watching the news station when he got tired of channel surfing. Leaning back, Kenji sprawled both arms out along the top of the couch and vaguely listened to the commercial ads. Most of it was pretty dry. Although Kenji was an adult, he didn't watch the news as much as one would expect him to. It was a given that the news delivered horrible stories of murder and crime every night, and so usually Kenji would skip over it. But on this particular night he had grown tired of the sitcoms he usually put up with in order to pass the time. The commercials ended abruptly and the program began. Right off the bat, "Breaking News" coasted across the screen and stopped to rest above a short caption that read, "Police have lead on Osaka's missing students."

Kenji let the remote drop from his hand onto the cushion of the couch as he continued to watch. The news reporter began. "Good evening. Tonight we bring you a breaking news update on the Osaka kidnapping incident which began last week Monday. Two high school students, Watanabe Sakura and Suzuki Minori disappeared while walking home from Osaka's international high school, and so far have yet to be found." Video footage taken from outside of the aforementioned high school began to play, slowly panning from one end of the school to the other and back. "Officials say that a witness has stepped forward earlier today, claiming to have spotted Watanabe in the Metro Tokyo area. Police have set out to scour the neighborhoods in search of her, and the witness has been subjected to further questioning..."

Maaya walked into the den just then, pulling off a pair of oven mittens and tucking them under one arm. As she walked up to the back of the couch she said, "Dinner's ready, come on-"

"Hold on, listen to this," Kenji interrupted. His hand lifted slightly. Maaya obliged and slid her hands together slowly as she gazed at the screen. At this point there were pictures of the girl's faces floating next to each other.

"...Any more information, or if you have seen either Watanabe or Suzuki, please call the police immediately." The segment ended and another news story began. Kenji picked up the remote and turned the television off, and stood up.

"Wow," Kenji said.

"Well what exactly happened?" Maaya asked suspiciously. Both of them walked into the kitchen, finding Bankotsu already there sniffing around. Bankotsu tuned his ear in as he sat down at the table, and the other two did the same.

"There was a kidnapping in Osaka. Somehow the two who were kidnapped got out here, so they want us to keep our eyes peeled for them."

"Mm...I will. I don't want any of my students to come up missing either. Think how horrible that would be," Maaya said as she picked up a dish and passed it around the table.

"Sucks to be them, I guess," offered Bankotsu from the other end of the table.

"Now, now," Kenji said. "Don't jinx yourself by sounding so cruel."

Bankotsu merely shrugged. The meal commenced.

* * *

AN: And there you have it. It took way too long to write this. But I wasn't writing the entire time. Life _should_ have been getting in the way, but since there's been a sudden lack of **having a life** since December...ehh. It's just me procrastinating. If you review, tell me what's on your mind pertaining to this fic; questions, random thoughts etc.


End file.
